45,000+ Officials Admit to Getting or Applying for Subsidy

Some 45,000 public officials have come clean about either receiving or applying rice subsidies since its adoption in 2005, according to government statistics released yesterday.

The Public Administration and Security Ministry said 45,331 public officials received or applied for the subsidy intended to support rice producers. Among them, 7,642 or 16.9 percent worked for central government organizations, 24,982 or 55.1 percent for provincial governments, and 2,707 or 28 percent for education offices.

The statistics were complied based on voluntary reports by public servants and their relatives.

Almost a third of them 33.2 percent (15,052) were public officials, 11.3 percent (5,141) were their spouses, and 55.5 percent (25,138) were immediate family members.

When employees who work for state-run organizations are included, the figure reaches 49,767.

The government asked 1,293,846 public officials and employees at 52 central government organizations, 246 provincial organizations, 180 education offices, 305 state-owned corporations, and 121 public corporations if they received or applied for the subsidy.

The results showed 3.85 percent of them did so.

Each organization will probe if the subsidy recipients or applicants are real rice growers by early next month. Based on the results, the ministry will disclose the list of improper recipients.

ssoo@donga.com